Whether you’re looking to host a Victorian-style event or a casual dinner gathering with friends, dinner parties are booming in popularity. If you’re looking to have friends and family gather for a fun, delicious, and well-prepared meal, hosting a dinner party is a great way to bring everyone together.
Here, we’re going to give you some tips for hosting a dinner party to ensure that it runs as smoothly as possible. Read on to learn how to prepare your home, your menu, and your activities.
Create a Guest List
If you’re hosting a small dinner party with close friends, the guest list is probably pretty obvious. Your small social circle’s going to gather and have a good time. The same applies to people hosting family events.
However, some dinner party guest lists need a little more consideration. If you’re looking to host an intimate dinner party for people other than your inner circle, you’ll need to think about who you want to get closer to. This is a great way to strengthen your bonds with those around you and build other connections from the ground up.
Have a Good Recipe (or Caterer)
A dinner party would not be complete without a good dinner. After all, it’s what you’re gathering for!
You have two options here: cooking or hiring a caterer. If you choose to make a home-cooked meal, people will love it as long as you have a unique and exciting recipe.
Consider making something that other people have loved in the past. If you know you can cook a killer steak, for example, go with that. Just make sure you don’t sacrifice quality for experimental value- you want to make a good impression.
Your other option, hiring a caterer, is more expensive. You’d need to put down a deposit and tip handsomely, even for a small group. This isn’t necessarily a bad idea but it may not be worth it unless your gathering is of a professional or formal nature.
Be Sure to Ask About Food Allergies
No matter what, it’s critical that you ask attendees for their food allergies and dietary restrictions prior to the beginning of your party. You don’t want someone to be unable to eat.
If you have vegetarians in the group, consider cooking a meatless meal for everyone. You can use alternative proteins like beans and nuts in your dishes. This will stop you from needing to cook two meals (which is also a totally viable option).
Allergies need to be accommodated. If someone’s severely allergic to something, it might be best to leave that out of the main course.
If you’re hiring a caterer, make sure that you inform them of food allergies and dietary restrictions in advance. You don’t want to take them by surprise day-of.
Hold a Wine Tasting
Wine tastings are the perfect way to get people excited about a fancy event. You can get various reds and whites to pair with different cheeses. This is an especially fun way to do appetizers.
Some people are reluctant to have wine tastings because they worry about spills, but this isn’t something to be concerned about. Professional cleaners have the tools and solutions needed to eliminate any stains that may occur.
Get Your Home Ready
Next, you’ll need to get your space ready for your dinner party. You can start by picking up everything off the floor and putting it all in one place. This gives professional cleaners leave to do the best possible deep-cleaning of your space.
Once your house is decluttered, you can contact an expert cleaning crew. Vantage Point offers a wide range of cleaning service packages including one-time cleanings.
Special Event Cleaning packages are ideal for dinner parties because it takes some of the stress out of hosting. Cleaners will come in before your dinner party to pick up for you and your guests.
This is important because a clean space sets the tone for a relaxed and stress-free evening. You don’t want clutter giving your guests (or you) anxiety. You definitely don’t want your guests to find you sloppy and careless at an event.
Professional cleaners will also come in after your dinner party to eliminate the mess that attendees make. You can have a good time without worrying about picking up.
Consider Your Attire
The clothes you wear at a party you’re hosting need to reflect the event’s tone. For casual engagements, a simple button-up shirt/pants combo or maxi dress will be sufficient. However, more formal events may require blazers for gentlemen and long, flowing dresses for the ladies.
Make sure that you think about the image that you’re trying to convey to the group. However, don’t completely throw comfort out the window. You have to wear what you choose all night, after all.
Also, tell everyone the general dress code before the night of the party. This will ensure that no one comes feeling extremely overdressed or extremely underdressed. It’s important that you avoid any awkwardness that could ruin the evening.
Get to Hosting a Dinner Party to Remember
Now that you have some tips for hosting a dinner party (and making it successful), it’s time to get started. Request a quote from our professional cleaning experts.
We’ll discuss how much it will cost to clean differently-sized homes and give you an estimate for yours. We also are happy to discuss cleanup times, payment plans, and more. Since we’re committed to ensuring that you can have the best possible social event, we look forward to getting in touch.
